Xbox Live Developer Interview: Glu Mobile, makers of Bug Village

Last calendar week, WPCentral revealed that Bug Hamlet would be the first freemium game on Windows Phone. We shared a few details nigh how it would work and promised more to come. Hither then is the next installment of our Xbox Live Programmer Interview serial. This time, we grill Mike DeLaet of Glu Mobile nearly Bug Hamlet's revolutionary features and the challenges of bringing a freemium game to Xbox Live.

Hullo, Mike. Please tell us about yourself and what you exercise at Glu Mobile.

I am Mike DeLaet, VP of Sales & Marketing at Glu Mobile. I've been at Glu for over 2 years at present and am responsible for the global smart phone business, marketing and public relations.

Glu has an impressive library of games under its belt. Does your company have an overall approach to mobile game development?

Obviously our development strategy is highly confidential. Our overarching goal is to create games that are fun and enjoyable for our consumers.

Let's focus on your side by side big Windows Phone release, Problems Village. The game is already a popular casual urban center building game on the iOS, Android, and fifty-fifty the Chrome browser. What exercise you think makes the genre appealing?

Issues Hamlet is one of those titles that have a mass entreatment to all demographics. The high product value of the title also makes it appealing with the 3D characters, which isn't something y'all typically become for FREE.

What is the overall goal in Bug Village?

Like any resource management game, the goal is to build the biggest and best village. Issues Village has a ton of content and quests to keep the consumer engaged for hours on end.

Problems Village utilizes two forms of currency: acorns and coins. What is each currency used for, and how is it acquired?

Acorns are obtained past playing through the game and tin be used to buy items in the store. Coins are given out at the get-go of the game to get the player started and can also be bought via In-App Purchase as well; also allowing the user to buy items in the store. Some items require acorns, while others require coins.

What payment methods tin players apply to purchase golden coins? Can they apply Microsoft Points?

Windows Phone payments work like any other piece of content. Y'all can utilize a credit card tied to your Xbox Live account or utilise carrier billing if your particular carrier supports that selection.

If I may ask a selfish question, will Glu exist able to provide reviewers with codes for coins?

Unfortunately we accept no technical way of providing virtual currency to any reviewers. Microsoft does non give us this power.

The other versions of Bug Village take regular sales on currency and items. Will these sales extend to Windows Telephone as well?

Unfortunately we volition not have the flexibility of making dynamic changes to the Problems Village economy afterward the fact like we are able to with iOS and Android. That being said, we do wait the capabilities of our titles on Windows Telephone to improve in due form and in one case that happens, nosotros will extend the same capabilities to Windows Phone likewise.

Are there any Parental Controls in place to prevent children from making unauthorized purchases?

Our titles volition take advantage of any parental controls built into Windows Phone. (Parental controls were promised with the Mango update but accept yet to materialize. –ed.)

How many GamerScore worth of Achievements will Issues Village have? Volition all Achievements require the purchase of premium content before they can be unlocked?

Bug Village will have vii Xbox Alive achievements at launch worth a total of 200 points towards your Gamer Score. No, you volition not be required to buy premium content to unlock these achievements.

Can players visit their friends' villages similar in the iOS version?

No, the version of Bug Village for Windows Phone will not have a friend-visiting feature; nevertheless, we volition build out our characteristic prepare for Windows Telephone as the platform matures to support such functionality.

Speaking of version differences, updates to Windows Phone Xbox Live titles are tricky business concern thanks to the Xbox Alive certification process. While games like Bug Village on iPhone receive regular updates, the Windows Phone versions often get much longer between updates (see Fruit Ninja, Pocket God, Doodle Jump, etc.) and thus lag backside the primary version in content. How will you lot handle updates to Problems Village on Windows Phone?

Nosotros volition adhere to whatever guidelines that Microsoft imposes on Windows Phone. Information technology is an entirely different procedure than iOS or Android.

Slow update procedure or non, it's awesome that you guys are ushering in the official microtransaction model for Microsoft's mobile platform. How did Glu Mobile finish up equally the publisher of the first freemium Xbox Alive game on Windows Phone?

We take been working with Microsoft very closely since the launch of Windows Phone and given how our business organization has shifted to freemium, nosotros were patently very great on doing this on Windows Phone likewise. Like any new technology there are technical challenges that must exist overcome; still, we were able to work through these with Microsoft to become Problems Hamlet submitted.

Will Bug Village require the Windows Phone Mango update?

Yes, Bug Village will require Windows Phone Mango (7.5) to run. It also supports Fast App Switching…

Bug Village features colorful 3D graphics. What is the frame rate on the Windows Phone version?

We are operating at 30 fps on Windows Phone.

Will the game support Button Notifications? If and then, what data volition they relay to players?

No, this is not available on [the Windows Phone version] at this fourth dimension.

Does the Windows Phone port have a target release engagement yet?

We plan to release Bug Village in the coming months.

Let'due south talk virtually Glu Mobile's previous Xbox Live releases: Glyder: Take a chance Worlds, Guitar Hero 5 Mobile, and Deer Hunter 3D. Of the three, which has been the strongest seller?

Guitar Hero 5 and Deer Hunter 3D accept been our strongest performers. Both are huge brands and have a mass appeal.

Deer Hunter 3D has 1 Achievement - 'All Twelvemonth Circular' – that is completely unattainable past players. Will this issue e'er be fixed?

We are not enlightened of any bugs related to whatever of our Deer Hunter 3D achievements. If this is indeed an issue, we will piece of work with Microsoft to resolve it. (Don't say I never did annihilation for y'all, love reader! – ed.)

Finally, does Glu Mobile accept any involvement in bringing its licensed games similar The Lord of the Rings: Middle Earth Defense force or Family Guy Time Warped to Windows Telephone?

No, our focus is on brining our meridian tier original IP to Windows Phone.

...

WPCentral will have more than news on those original IPs very shortly! Tin can't look to play Issues Hamlet? Chrome web browser users tin can try the PC version right now for costless.

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Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/xbox-live-developer-interview-glu-mobile-makers-bug-village

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